General Assembly Worship Preachers Selected

Abide in Me – Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) General Assembly – July 2019
Recognize the newly selected General Assembly Sunday night Worship preacher? It’s our very own Rev. Nancy Gowler! Nancy was encouraged by Northwest Regional Christian Church Minister Sandy Messick to apply for the honor by submitting a sermon on the 2019 General Assembly’s theme, Abide In Me. This is a great honor and we can be very proud of Nancy!

Other speakers will be General Minister & President Terri Hord Owens, Rev. Ruben del Pilar of Community Worship Center in CA, and Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II… a prestigious group!

Welcome Karen, FCC’s Pastoral Intern

FCC is pleased to welcome our first pastoral intern, Karen Ferguson!

Karen will worship alongside us for the next nine months as she discerns how God is calling her to serve as a Disciples of Christ minister. Karen will work closely with Pastor Nancy, giving her opportunities for trying on the mantle of leadership and expanding her imagination about what is possible in congregational life. Like every congregation, FCC Puyallup has unique characteristics, potential, and even quirks that can only be learned by having ministry experience in a congregation. We are so pleased to welcome her into our family!

Karen is a seminary student at Claremont School of Theology working toward ordination with the NW Region of Disciples of Christ. She lives in Olympia where she has been a member of FCC Olympia for the past 12 years. Her experience with the Disciples goes way back to young adolescence at First Christian Church in Vancouver, Washington. According to Karen, what’s most important to know about her is that she is the grandmother of two delightful 2½ year olds: Ruby, who just moved to New York City and Ember, who lives in Juneau, Alaska. In spite of geographical distance, they are very close. Karen also has three adult children, two son-in-laws, and a husband, Jeb, who will visit us from time to time. Karen left her career as a middle school teacher to answer God’s call to the ministry. She is discerning between chaplaincy and congregational ministry and looks forward to sharing her flute and ministerial gifts this year as we learn and grow together.

Welcome Karen!

…

FCC’s Guiding Vision

First Christian Church of Puyallup is a gathering of diverse individuals
called by God to live as a blessing in our own neighborhoods and in the world.

We dream of being a faithful community of God’s people
whose spiritual practices of worship, prayer, study, and ministry
nurture those who are seeking to live in the way of Jesus.

Believing that every follower of Christ is gifted by God,
we dream of being a family in which each person discovers their gifts
and is supported in sharing those gifts with the world.

We experience God’s welcome in our celebration at the communion table
and dream of being a reflection of that welcome in our acts
of acceptance, forgiveness, generosity, justice and peacemaking.

Prayer Chapel – always open

Share concerns and joys in the
First Christian Church Prayer Chapel.

Always there for you.

Thank you from Rev. David Bell of Yakama Christian Mission

Being Church

When someone says, “Come to church with me,” we may get a mental picture of going into a building called a “church.” What if instead of a building, we thought of “church” as people, both individually and collectively, living the way of Jesus at work, at home, and at play?

Working Together

We think we’re called to “be the church” and not just “go to church.” That’s why at First Christian we’re looking for ways of living out the compassionate way of Jesus every day.

The gospels are full of stories about Jesus out in his community–talking to people, healing people’s brokenness, feeding hungry folks and welcoming those who had been excluded.

We know we don’t have all the answers and we can’t address every major societal problems on our own, so we partner with others to help make a difference. And when someone has a passion for a situation or issue, we work at being a supportive place where others can join in and help out.

Everyone has a calling

We’re not just being church when we work on projects together, we believe each one of us is being the church wherever we are. We try to live an authentic faith at work, in our neighborhoods, in our daily lives, wherever we find ourselves.

You may see us volunteering in schools, at the Food Bank, in English as a Second Language groups, with other churches, or with Habitat for Humanity. We may not be wearing a name tag that says, “I’m part of First Christian Church of Puyallup,” but that’s OK. We hope God’s vision of compassion and reconciliation gets the credit… not us.

On The Way

The first folks that followed Christ became known as people of The Way. They lived out their faith in their everyday lives–

praying and worshiping God together,

studying together,

eating together,

and sharing what they had with one another.
(Read Acts 2:42-47 and Pastor Nancy’s reflections on this passage of Scripture here).

Somewhere along The Way, things changed. What it meant to be a Christian shifted. It became less about following Jesus and more about saying yes to a lot of propositions about Jesus (and God, and human beings, and the world–you get the idea).

We’re trying to reclaim that idea of being people of The Way. It’s part of our church’s history. The people who formed our church tradition wanted to free people from strict adherence to creedal statements about God and instead create a place where each person can discover what it means to follow Christ in their own lives today.

Following Jesus is exciting–a little risky–but an adventure of a lifetime…

Book Clubthrough winter the Book Club will meet at varying times; check the calendar for updates. Regular date and time is the first Tuesday of each month at 7 pm, varying locationsA casual group of readers meeting for conversation and fun

Back Row Broads (BRB) – Wednesdays at 10 amMature women building relationships and having conversations

Children’s Worship Area
Our Worship services are child-friendly; a special area in the sanctuary offers hands-on play experiences for children of all ages. Based on the Godly Play approach, activities are designed to help kids explore their faith through story, gain religious language, and enhance their spiritual experience though wonder and play, all while worshiping with the congregation as a whole.

Seasonal and special studies are offered throughout the year

Our Guiding Vision

...we are a gathering
of diverse individuals
called by God
to live as a blessing
in our own neighborhoods
and in the world...